Improving work opportunities in St Helens
Action plan 'been through a system'
Improving work opportunities for care experienced youngsters could be key to improving mental health.
The children and young people services scrutiny committee was provided with a report on improving work opportunities for care experienced young people at its meeting on Monday.
Jim Leivers, St Helens Council’s director of children’s services, said: “What you’ve got here is an action plan that’s been through a system.
“Twelve months ago plus, we began a detailed view of this, as a committee.
“The committee made a number of recommendations to cabinet.
“Cabinet have looked at that and have come back to actually agree with that.
“Within children’s services, we’ve then now introduced roundabout a dozen key actions that we need to firm up on.”
There was a recommendation for children and young people’s services to consider how young care leavers – who are single parents and without traditional family childcare support networks – can be supported with childcare so they can access education and employment.
Agreed action on this comprises a focus group of single parent care experienced young people being arranged to learn from them what could work better.
Another recommendation was for children and young people’s services to arrange for training and accessible information on financial life skills, including benefits, to care leavers and children the authority looks after.
The action plan document says an existing action in the care leaver action plan supports this recommendation.
It reads: “Develop a library of interactive preparation for independence/life skills materials to support direct work with young people by staff and carers.”
Committee members noted that the action plan sets out how recommendations within the children and young people services scrutiny task group report will be delivered to create and promote work opportunities for young people, who are looked after by the council or are care leavers.
Meanwhile, the report said employment and career prospects can be seen as a key determinant of health, in particular mental health.
It added that the action plan arising from the recommendations within the report relate specifically to supporting being aspirational and supporting and promoting positive life opportunities, as well as the wellbeing, of care experienced young people.
The committee approved the action plan.